6of9Elton John plays piano as he and Billy Joel, not pictured, kick off their Face 2 Face concert tour Monday, March 2, 2009 in the Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The two veteran rockers greeted each other on stage before heading to their respective pianos to play a selection of each other's greatest hits. (AP Photo/The Florida Times-Union, Bob Self)Photo: Bob Self, MBR

Festa! Official Launch of the 2013 Houston International Festival: This year's iFest spotlights Brazil, and this preview party offers a glimpse of the music, food and culture set to overtake downtown Houston. The lineup includes performances by Brazilian dancers Lois Albez and Morena Flor and a sampling of the country's most popular snack, cheese bread: oven-fresh golden puffs made with manioca flour and cheeses. Also on the menu are Brazilian beef and shrimp pastels, Brazilian truffles and an array of South American wines. When: 6 p.m. Thursday; Where: Tradição Brazilian Steakhouse, 12000 Southwest Freeway; Tickets: $25; 281-277-9292 or ifest2013 launch.eventbrite.com.

Concert

Elton John: The legendary piano man turned 66 last week and shows no signs of slowing down. His tour (which includes all the hits) runs through April. Then it's back to a Las Vegas residency before heading out overseas through the rest of the year. A new album, "The Diving Board," is due in September, and John will be featured on Fall Out Boy's comeback project. He's also a new dad. Elijah Joseph Daniel Furnish-John was born in January via surrogate to John and partner David Furnish. Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John was born in 2010. When: 8 p.m. Thursday; Where: Toyota Center, 1510 Polk; Tickets: $39-$139; 866-446-8849 or houstontoyotacenter.com.

Party

Unisex Danceparty: DJs Luis Estrada, Brandon Duhon and Damon Allen want to "help Houston get back to having some awesome fun, dancing to music that isn't commercial or trendy." We didn't realize that was a thing. Nevertheless, expect the tunes to make you sweat. But don't expect any Britney or Ke$ha or Pitbull. When: 9 p.m. Thursday; Where: Mangos, 403 Westheimer; Tickets: Free; 713-522-8903.

Saturday 3/30

Performance

Tammie Brown: Corpus Christi native Keith Glen Schubert got his start in musicals, portraying female characters in "Grease" and "Into the Woods." He was eventually christened Tammie Brown by Corpus drag divas and built a reputation as a deliriously off-kilter entertainer. Brown appeared on the inaugural season of "RuPaul's Drag Race" and returned for a too-short stint on "All Stars." There have also been appearances in Korn and Robbie Williams videos, along with original music. When: 9 p.m. Saturday; Where: South Beach, 810 Pacific; Tickets: Free before 10 p.m. (text SOBE to 46786), $12 advance, $15 at the door; 713-529-7623 or southbeachthenightclub.com.

Deftones: These guys were way too good and experimental to be lumped in with the knuckleheaded nu metal movement. Bassist Chi Cheng was nearly killed in a car wreck, and the band has since rebounded with a pair of monster albums. When: 8:30 p.m. Saturday; Where: Bayou Music Center, 520 Texas; Tickets: $32-50-$37.50; 713-230-1600 or bayou musiccenter.com.